A Worn Path Criticism
Eudora Welty has written many famous and respected short stories. She was born in Jackson Mississippi, which has influenced many of her stories. She often shows a southern experience in her writing most likely due to her southern upbringing. She has stories in many collections such as A curtain of Green (1841) and The Optimist's Daughter (1972). Welty writes with much humor and explicit detail. She never leaves any of the details out and has a knack for dialogue. Her characters, she says, are often people she has seen through her daily life. Welty will spot a person and conjure a story about where they are going, or what they are doing. This is the case for her short story "A Worn Path." Welty said in an interview that she was sitting under a tree and saw an old Negro woman walking by. This is how her famous tale came to be. Eudora Welty projects a theme of life and its struggles through her famous short story "A Worn Path". Phoenix Jackson, the protagonist of the story, takes a journey twice a year. She travels to the city of Natchez to receive charity medicine for her sick grandson. Her trip to the city is not easy since it is winter, and she faces many obstacles along the way. This story at a glance seems simple
"A Worn Path" is a simple story with complex and deep meaning. The path that the protagonist walks is the path of life. It communicates human experience while presenting a strong theme of life death and immortality. Welty projects the theme by using symbolism. She uses biblical and ancient mythological references and allusions to support her theme. Phoenix symbolizing the ancient bird and the Christ figure makes the immoral portion of the theme apparent. Welty uses dead surroundings of the path to support the death portion of the theme and then uses the love Phoenix has for her grandson to produce the life. "First, Old Phoenix resembles the mythical bird in personal appearance. The bennu is known for its brilliant scarlet and gold plumage. Welty describes Old Phoenix in this way: 'A golden color ran underneath and the two knobs of her cheeks were illuminated by a yellow burning under the dark.. Under the red rag, her hair came down on her neck...'"(341) The title of the work, "A Worn Path" plays an important role in the symbolism of the story. It becomes obvious in the first few paragraphs that this tale holds to the traditional idea of road literature (Isaacs 333). Phoenix's journey to the city parallels the journey of life. The whole meaning of "A Worn Path" will rely on an immediate recognition of the equation- the worn path equals the path of life (333). The title matches the theme in that life is a journey towards death and that one must die for new life to prevail (335). The life and death of the story often match Christian ideas. , but it becomes complex when the symbolism is analyzed. Although the critics share different views, a common theme remains; life death and immortality. Phoenix Jackson needs to be looked at on a psychological level as well (Bartel 288). If we consider the fact that her grandson could already be dead then her journey becomes a way of coping with her loss (288). It becomes a ritual in which she must comp
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Approximate Word count = 1332
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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